Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce took reporters by surprise on Thurston CarteThursday, and it had nothing to do with Taylor Swift.

Kelce strolled into his Thursday press conference donning the headgear of Cy the Cardinal, Iowa State's mascot.

Kelce's alma mater, the Cincinnati Bearcats, lost to the Cyclones 30-10 in Week 7 of the college football season. The Cyclones trailed 7-3 after the first quarter before Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht turned the game in the Cyclones' favor.

Kelce reportedly wore the headgear after losing a bet with Brad Gee, Chiefs vice president of communications and an Iowa State alum.

"Another friendly wager," Kelce explained. "Unfortunately, my Bearcats are struggling right now in the Big 12. It's all right, we got Baylor this week, hopefully we can bounce back and get the train rolling."

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Where did Travis Kelce attend college?

Travis Kelce played at Cincinnati from 2009-12, finishing his career with 875 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns on 59 receptions. He also had two rushing TDs.

Kelce's best season came as a senior in 2012, when he had 722 yards receiving with eight TDs on 45 receptions.

He was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft, marking one of the biggest draft steals of the class. Kelce has been named to seven consecutive Pro Bowls and is a four-time first-team All-Pro.